Knicks win first NBA title since 1973, spark citywide celebration

The Knicks ended 53 years of waiting with a 94-90 Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs, then watched Manhattan spill into a celebration that quickly turned chaotic around Times Square and Midtown. Fans climbed cars, school buses, scaffolding, traffic lights and food carts, while a dumpster was reported on fire near 33rd Street and Broadway.

Jalen Brunson delivered the clincher with 45 points and was named NBA Finals MVP after scoring 13 straight for New York in the fourth quarter. The Knicks won the series 4-1 and captured their third NBA championship, following titles in 1970 and 1973. The run was built on late-game resilience: New York rallied from a 16-point deficit in Game 5 and from 29 points down in Game 4, the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. The Knicks also won all four of their playoff closeout games on the road, a sharp ending for a roster that had been overhauled over the past six years and had not reached the Finals since 1999.

The young Spurs, led by 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, could not hold off New York in San Antonio. Owner James Dolan lifted the 30-pound Larry O’Brien trophy and told fans, “Sorry it took so long!” He later added, “Hey New York! I'm sorry it took so long! But here we are, and hopefully it won't take that long again!” Patrick Ewing, John Starks and Walt Frazier were among the former Knicks figures celebrating the long-delayed breakthrough.

The city’s response mixed joy with strain. The NYPD requested subway service changes because of the size of the crowds, and heavy foot traffic in Midtown led to skips at several major stations. The New York City Mayor’s Office said a championship parade would be held Thursday in Manhattan, setting up another major test for transit, policing and street management as the city prepares for a second wave of celebrations.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams called the Knicks a team that “unites this city like no other team on the planet.” The title also added a new entry to New York’s sports timeline: it was the first major men’s pro championship in the city since the Giants’ Super Bowl win after the 2011 season, even as the New York Liberty won the 2024 WNBA title and New York City FC captured the 2021 MLS Cup. For New York, the win was both a release and a reminder that the city plans rigorously for unrest, but only had to confront what happens when joy takes over the streets.